Ejector apparatus



Feb. 19, 1924.

R. N. EHRHART EJECTOR APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2l 1918 QSPIITNESSES: l JNNTo.,V

A TT ORNEYS y Allegheny and Patented Feb.. 19, 1924..

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PENNSYLVANIA, assreNoa, 'rol` wEs'rrNe- HECTOR ArrAaA'rUs.

Application med August 21, 1918. Serial No'. 250,899.

To all lwhom t ma concern.'

Be it known tiat I, RAYMOND N.. EHR- HART, a citizen of the United States, and a' resident of Ed ewood, in 'the county of tate of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Ejector Apfparatus, of which the following' is a speci cation.

This invention relates to means for extracting 'non-condensable iuids from condensers or4 the like. Air pumps and particularly 'hydraulic yair pumps employed for. such purposes, are usually designed with a capacity suiicient to operate effectively under' maximum lextraction con'- ditions and are constantly supplied with sufficient steam .or motive fluid to effec# tively operate under full load 'or maximum extraction conditions. If the quantity of Afluid to .be extractedis small, the steam or motive iuid supply should be reduced in order to conserve steam or motive fluid. An object' of my invention is therefore to produce automatic means for controlling the deliveryv of steam or motive Huid to the air pump for condensers, or like apparatus in response to variations in the amount 'of fiuid' or air to be abstracted.

. Where steam actuated yair ejectors are employed for extracting air on non-condensable iuid from@ condensers, it is custom-A ary to deliver* a constantquantity of steam or motive liuid to the ejector independently of the amount of. extraction to be accomplishedi This practice results from the fact that such'fejectors operate effectively and efficiently, only under certain conditions of Huid flow'through them, andare likely to upset or become ineiective where the flow conditions are mate' -riall varied. Such procedure obviously resu ts in poor economy, and an object of the present invention is to produce steamv actuated air ejector apparatus for condensers or like apparatus wherein, the antityl of motive iiuid (steam) deliyered to the ejector apparatus 1s automatlcally proportioned to the work of extraction im-v4 posed 'upon the apparatus.

A further object is to produce an air ejector apparatus for condensers or likereceptacles including a series of se aratel controlled ejectors in connection wit j whic automatic means are employedfor successively. rendering ejectors of the series o fluid to be extracted increases, and for suc cessively rendering ejectors of the series inoperative as the amount of fluid to be extracted decreased.

A further object of the inventionv is to produce anair ejector apparatus including a plurality of separate ejectors and in connection with which automatic means are' employed for varying the number of operating ejectors in response to variations in the amount of necessar extractions.

A further object o the invention is to produce an ejector apparatus having a .pluralit of small capaclty ejectors o erating jointly to extract non-condensab e4 vfluid from a condenser or similar receptacle, andy having automatic controlling meansl vfor the motive iuid supplied thereto, whereby certain ejectors are cut out of service when 'the load imposed on. the ejector apparatus diminishes toa point where it may be carried by a smaller number of ejectors with maximum eiiciency. v l

A further object of the invention is to produce an e'ector `apparatus comprising a plurality o ejecting units, and having simple eiiectiveautomatic controlling means for the `motive fluid supplied thereto, re.- sponsive in operation to the quantity of air orI other fiuid to be extracted.

These and' other objects which vwill hereinafter be made more apparent, are obtained in the apparatus herein illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein- The ligure is a diagrammatic sectional showing of apparatus embodying,the features of this invention. l

Referring to the drawing, the apparatus includesa plurality of jet ejectors of 1, 2 land-3, connected in parallel with the air 'offtake ort 4, of a condenser 5, by means of a mani old conduit 6. The ejectors are adspted to discharge into an exhaust manifol 7,

'erative as the `amount of non-condensable eol The exhaust manifold 7, is connected with` an exhaust pipe 11, which terminates in a delivery nozzle 11a located Within a. condenser or feed-Water heater 12, which is preferably of thel open type. Fluid discharged from the ejector apparatus, is dis'- charged through the nozzle- 11, which as indicated, consists of a series of perforations 13, in such manner that the cooling Water,

or feed-Water sprayed from the water delivery nozzle 14 of the feed-water heater, contacts therewith to the best advantage so that the steam will be condensedy and the temperature of the feed-Water raised.

As shown, the Water heater or condenser dischar es the feed-Water and condensate intoa eed tank 15, which may be of any construction, and the heater is yprovided with a restricted vent 16, leading to the atmosphere for ermitting the escape of the noncondensab e fluids extracted by the ejector apparatus. lt will be a parent, that if the area of the oriiceis suc Athat the air within the heater 12 is compressed, due to the ingress of air being greater than the egress thereoie through the vent 16, the pressure vvithirrarifthe heater 12 "will vary with the uantity of airbeing forced into the heater. t is assumed, of course, that the heater or condenser is of sumcient condensing capacity to condense all of the motive -iluid delivered thereto, when the ejector apparatus is o erated under maximum extraction or full oad conditions. y

'llhe variations of pressure in the heater occasioned by variation .in the quantity of air delivered thereto, are utilized in controlling the supply of motive'tluid to the ejec-v tor apparatus by means of apparatus to be described. The ejectors 1, 2 and 3, are independently supplied with motive iuid from a common steam supply pipe 17 and header 18, by means of steam conduits 19, 20 and 21 respectively. The conduits 19, 20 and 21,

' are provided with valves 22..' 23 and 24 respectively, for the purpose of independently controlling the motive :Huid admission to the any or all of the ejectors ejectors, whereby may be cut out of operation.

As previously set forth, ejectors work most eiiiiciently` when 'Working under the condition of fluid iiow `through them for which they are designed, and that regardless y of the load, Whether light or heavy, the

steam supply 'is maintained constant so as to rasante ensure effective operation of the ejectors. In order to obtain flexibility in operation of the ejectors and attain an economy in steam consumption, the pluralityof ejectors, each having a capacity less than is required to eject the maximum amount of air accumulating in the condenser, is provided so that when the load is light, certain ejectors may be cut out of operation. Valves 22, 23 and 24 are therefore of a typeadapted to open and close quickly in response to the follow# ing` o erating mechanism.

A oat tank 25 is provided, having a float chamber 26 and a stand-pipe 27, communieating with the chamber adjacent the bottom, and the upper portion of the float tank communicates with the upper portion of the heater 12, through a pipe-28, so that the level of the'liquid 29, Within the iioat chamber 26, is subject tothe pressure existing in the heater, and the Water level in the float chamber therefore varies in response to4 26. Diagrammatic means j are. illustrated,-

by which the loat actuates the valves 22, 23 and 24. As shown, the float carries upon a stem 30', a series of contact collars 31, 32 and 33, which successively engage the valve levers 22', 23 and 24C respectively. "Valve levers 22', 23 and 24V, operate or trip the quick acting valves22, 23 and 24,1espectively, which are preferably designed to normally remain closed. The oat is normally adjusted to `hold the valve 22 open, as indicated by the inclination of the valve lever 22. when the apparatus is operated under minimum extraction conditions. The operation ofthe apparatus is as follows.

ln starting up the ejector apparatus, one or all of the ejector valves may be opened manually, so as to start the operation of the pressure in the heater 12 will be such that` the float 30 will occupy the normal position in which the collars 33 and 32, disengage the levers 24 and 23 respectively, permitting the automatic closing of the 4 valves 24 and 23 of the ejectors 2 and 3, because they are no longer necessary for carrying the reduced load. Y

Should a greater quantity of air be delivered to the heater than can escape through the vent 16, to the atmosphere under the in the quantity of the non-condensa'ble fuid said motive fluid substantially in accordbeing withdrawn. ancewith increases in the amount of non- 10. The method of compressing varying Condensable Huid being entrained. 10 quantities of non -condensable Huid, which In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 5 comprises initially entraining the non-con- Subscribed my name this y17th day of Audensa'ble fluid 1n rapidly moving motive gust, 1918., fluid, and increasing the entr-lining area of RAYMND N. EHRHART. 

